REVIEW: BRING UP THE BODIES BY HILARY MANTEL

Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantal
ARC
Now available!


First off I wanted to send a HUGE THANK YOU to  Christine Choe over at Henry Holt and Company Publishers for sending me a copy of this book!

The first thing I wanted to say is that I really enjoyed reading this novel.  I am a huge sucker for all things Tudor and I love that Wolf Hall has been continued with Bring Up the Bodies with the story through Thomas Cromwell's eyes is brilliant.

Mantel's writing style is unique, and not an easy grasp, in my opinion, but once I got the gist of it I rather liked her way around the words.  Now, I remember in Wolf Hall I was so confused by her use of the word "he" that I often times had no clue who was speaking, and it drove me nuts.  I didn't get, at the time, that the book was written solely from Cromwell's view.  So, when I was offered an ARC of the next book, I said "yes" and for some reason really grasped the concept well this time around.

I personally loved it when she would use "he, Cromwell, says"  or at the end of a sentence by Cromwell, "he said: he, Cromwell."  I don't know why, exactly, but it endeared the hell out of me.  As does Cromwell himself.  LOVE him.  Now that doesn't mean he is not self serving, I mean, let's face it, he has a pretty cushy life as the right-hand-man of the king.  But that does not mean he is without scruples.  And Mantel sprinkles examples of his scruples throughout, which make me like him more and more.  I now want to go back and finish Wolf Hall with this new appreciation for the point of view, and enjoy the relationship between himself and Wolsey, which as I remember had quite a humorous way about the two of them in the first book.

So, back to Bring Up the Bodies.  This book brings us to the point in Tudor history where Anne Boleyn is no longer in Henry's good books.  She has failed to produce an heir, and as it turns out is schtooping every able body in the county.  She is not liked by many, and her cunning and calculated ways are a strain on everyone who is near her.  Meanwhile, demure and tiny Jane Seymour is quietly making a place for herself in history, and when Henry finally has had enough... well, we all know what happens next.

In the telling of the story from Cromwell's point of view, we see the delicate politics that he faced in this time in Henry's court.  In order to carry out the king's wishes, Cromwell will have to ally with some of his enemies.  How will he handle himself in these instances?  To what lengths will he go to pay for Anne's head?

A beautifully told version of a much told tale and a must read book for any fans of the Henry VIIIth era.

This book is also available in audio format by Macmillan Audio and the reading is done by the very talented Simon Vance.

And here is a video with Hilary Mantel about the book.



 RATING:  4/5

For more information about this book click here. 

MAILBOX MONDAY! APRIL 23RD

Hello all!

I haven't done a MM in a very VERY long time.  I actually DID receive an exciting ARC in the mail today!  I got the newest Hilary Mantel book that will be released in May!!!  "Bring Up the Bodies" is the sequel to Wolf Hall and is all very Ann Boleyn.  HUGE THANK YOU to Christine over at Henry Holt and Company!



I also bought a couple of books on my Kindle.  After seeing Titanic in the theatre two weeks in a row, and with all of the info on it recently, I have become fairly obsessed and bought the 1955 classic A Night To Remember by Walter Lord, and Life Boat No. 8 by Elizabeth Kaye ( for 1.99!) today.

For more Mailbox Monday click here. 

REVIEW: HIS LAST LETTER by Jeane Westin

HIS LAST LETTER BY JEANE WESTIN

• aperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451230124

First of all I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Penguin Publishing or sending me a copy of this book so many months ago.  Believe it or not historical fiction is my preferred genre, I absolutely hands-down love it.  And His Last Letter does not disappoint. 

Before picking up this book I knew absolutely about Elizabeth the 1st and not to mention the Earl of Leicester.  Nary a clue.  

Here is the product description courtesy of Amazon.com:

One of the greatest loves of all time-between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley-comes to life in this vivid novel. 

They were playmates as children, impetuous lovers as adults-and for thirty years were the center of each others' lives. Astute to the dangers of choosing any one man, the Virgin Queen could never give her "Sweet Robin" what he wanted most-marriage- yet she insisted he stay close by her side. Possessive and jealous, their love survived quarrels, his two disastrous marriages to other women, her constant flirtations, and political machinations with foreign princes.

His Last Letter tells the story of this great love... and especially of the last three years Elizabeth and Dudley spent together, the most dangerous of her rule, when their passion was tempered by a bittersweet recognition of all that they shared-and all that would remain unfulfilled.

THis book easily grabs you from the very first paragraph, and the story keeps you riveted with the lusty magnet that holds Elizabeth and her beloved "Rob" together.  It is the classic unrequited love, and really is there any other story element that will keep you turning the pages as quickly? Nay, I say.. NAY!  

The only thing I had trouble with, and this is just ME and my puny little brain, is every time a new chapter started and there was a new year at the top, I had to flip back to the previous chapter to see which direction in time we had travelled.  I know it seems obvious, but sometimes it was only a matter of a few years, and other times it was into their much younger years. 

There is definate swooniness all over the pages of His Last Letter, and set against a backdrop of corsets and draped beds and tapestry covered walls, you will be swept away to that delicious time where social morays dictated how much passion or affection had to be hidden and secretly carried out.  SWOON!

RATING:  4/5

REVIEW: THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory


I read this book a few years ago, but it still remains my favourite of Gregory's novels.  I remember when I sat down to read it, I was literally flipping the pages like a crazy person and basically did nothing for 3 whole days while I inhaled the thing.  (much to my husbands extreme eye-rolling) 

The summary:  (from the jacket)

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII.  Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen.  However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival:  her sister Anne.  Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands. 

"The Other Boleyn Girl" reads like a movie script, so it's really not all that surprising that a couple of years ago the movie, in fact, came out.  I have to admit, I never did go see it.  The book was such a great and fast read that I thought the movie may not do it justice.  I felt a lot of sympathy for Mary in the beginning, and grew to loathe Anne. Mary is powerless against the mammoth greed her family has to gain power and riches from the King, and she desperately tries to please the king in every way.  And as we begin to realize that the king's affections are turning to Anne, we see Mary wilt and then rise to the occasion as Anne's scheming partner to gain her the crown.   And then there's George.  He provides some levity in the book, but he is not without his faults.  And the three of them form Team Anne as they do everything they can to keep Anne from going insane with her antics of trying to stay in the King's favour and eventually become his queen. They also form a trio that eventually hides a deadly secret. 

Having very little knowledge of King Henry VIII's history, I was rivetted by the story.  Oh, I knew the basics, like he had gone through a few wives, and had a pattern of doing away with them in a brutal way, but not the rich and lavish details of the court and the politics of the time.  I mentioned a couple of days ago that the mark of a good historical fiction novel is that you want to then go and research more about the subject.  GOOGLE :  HENRY VIII.  Which I totally did.  And then I went to the library and piled my arms with books about him and his wives and watched documentaries.  It was awesome!  So, when I heard that there was going to be a TV series called "The Tudors" I was super excited!  Until I saw that they had cast Jonathan Rhys  Meyers in the part.

 Tell me, Hollywood, how this:

Became THIS:

Help me Rhonda. 

But I digress......

Through fantastic writing, and tight editing, The Other Boleyn Girl will have you turning its pages till the wee hours of the night, and likely thinking of the characters when you are not in the act of reading it. 

RATING: 4/5

For more about Philippa Gregory and her works you can visit her website here.